


The American Dream

by liionne



Series: Tumblr Prompts [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, Natasha Romanov Knows Everything, just in case, literally the barest of hints but, secretly married steve and bucky, some hints at sex, steve and bucky being tooth rottingly sweet, suburban living
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-21
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-04-10 13:41:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4394090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liionne/pseuds/liionne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt? Secretly married Steve and Bucky having lives outside of their superhero personas and the Avengers. Like fluffy super domestic 21st century couple stuff: discovering new interests, going to school, going to spas, going on dates, trying new food and restaurants, volunteering, protesting, exploring the city, having non-Avenger friends, walking their rescues, etc. Bonus if the Avengers don't realize they moved out months ago, eventually become curious why they're never around and tail them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The American Dream

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write so much more fluff, but I thought I'd keep it short and sweet. This might be one of these little one shots that I revisit, to be honest.

Tony is not be the most observant of people, but then again, maybe that’s why this is such a big deal. It’s just... well. It’s been oddly quiet around here recently, and he’s not quite sure why. Usually when he’s in the workshop for ten hours straight there’s someone knocking at the door every other hour, bringing him food that he throws out (read: goes to throw out, feels mildly guilty, and picks at) and coffee that he allows to go cold.

Bruce came down not too long ago with toast, which tony is now forcing Dum-E to feed to him, Clint came down to pester him a few hours before, but... that’s it.

Odd. Very odd.

When he eventually heads up to the Penthouse suite, their communal area, or whatever, he does a head count. Thor is back in Asgard, so that’s no biggie, but there are only five people there, when there should be seven: Natasha, Clint, Bruce, and the Maximoffs. His permanent residents at the Tower. Wilson has his own apartment not too far away, and Vision tends to hang around on the roof or in dark corners or wherever he can creep up on Tony. Rhodey is out of town on business, business which Pepper is  _also_  involved in, and Maria is out on a date tonight.

So, by the power of deduction, there are only two people missing: Rogers and Barnes. Barnes and Rogers. Yeah, he thinks. Alphabetically sounds better.

“Anyone seen our resident grandpas?” He asks as he heads up the stairs, throwing himself down on one of the cream couches.

Natasha looks over, eyebrow arching, but then she looks away again. So much for that - she probably knows, too.

“I haven’t seen them, actually.” Bruce says, a soft frown forming on his face, a little crease between his eyebrows. “I haven’t seen them for a while.”

“Saw ‘em leave, like, a day ago.” Clint says. There’s an unauthorised mutt sitting at his feet, but Tony’ll allow it. “Guess they haven’t been back since.”

“They left a  _day_  ago?” Tony frowns. “What? Did they get lost in Walmart? Should we send out a search party? They could be in serious trouble, who knows what nonagenarians get up to these days.”

“They’re big boys, Stark,” natasha says, sipping a beer. “I’m sure they’ll manage.”

Tony huffs, and slumps a little into the sofa. He’s going to look into this. He’s definitely going to look into this.

~*~

Bucky, meanwhile, is planting Sweet Pea plugs in the back garden, right against their bright white fence. He likes the Sweet Pea plants; they smell good, and they’re stupidly easy to grow. They look pretty good when planted next to the Hardy Geranium plants too.

He  _likes_  gardening. It’s relaxing, and the feeling of earth against his fingertips never fails to make him smile. Steve, however, generally has other ideas.

“Bucky!” He scolds, walking into the back garden with that stupid apron wrapped around him. Bucky likes that apron, he does, but only when it’s the only thing that Steve is wearing. “I bought you those gloves for a reason, y’know.”

“So you could nag me for not using them?” Bucky teases, looking up at him with a grin.

“So your hands don’t get dirty.” Steve argues. “And you don’t lose your ring.”

Bucky rolls his eyes. “The ring is fitted to the metal, Steve. It’s not coming off.” The ring had to be specially made for his metal hand, actually. Getting it off is pretty sucky, but he like to wear it around his neck when he can’t wear it on his finger. “Trust me.”

“I do.” He says. “But I also worry. So gloves on or get out of my garden, Barnes.”

Bucky grins, standing up and stepping close to Steve, his hands finding Steve’s ass and giving a quick squeeze before he grins, his arms still wrapped around him. “You worry too much.”

“You don’t worry at all.” Steve argues. “I worry just enough for both of us.”

“Remember when it was me who did all the worrying?” Bucky asks, his smile a little smug. “Those were the days.”

“I used to worry about you back then, I just kept it quiet.” Steve says, shaking his head. He’s smiling, though, so Bucky knows that it’s okay.

He looks at their little garden, lawn perfectly clipped, flower beds bright and blooming, and he smiles. Their little house in the suburbs is maybe one of their biggest secrets - other than the being married thing, of course. And Bucky would live here full time, if he could, spend every day watching Steve bake and tending to the garden and going for couples massages, but they can’t. Occasionally, the world needs to be saved. And that sucks, but apparently, it’s their duty.

Bucky sets that aside for now. He grins at Steve, leaning in close so that their lips are almost touching, noses brushing. “Your jeans are covered in mud.” He whispers. “I think you might need to take them off.”

Steve blushes in that adorable way he tends to, and then he tugs Bucky by the hand back into the house, the planting forgotten.

~*~

They make googly eyes at each other over a plate of Kafta Khosh-Khash and another of Okra Lamb, holding hands like the idiots they are over the table. Steve runs his thumb along Bucky’s index finger, and smiles softly.

“They’re doing pottery classes down at the community centre. I thought we could have a look.” He says, head tilting slightly.

“What?” Bucky grins. “You wanna do the whole Ghost thing?”

Steve laughs, and Bucky gets that warm feeling in his stomach that he always seems to get when he makes Steve laugh. “Sure, as long as I get to be Demi Moore.”

“Like I’d have it any other way.” Bucky grins, spearing a piece of lamb and popping it in his mouth.

Lebanese was number five on their list, after Japenese, Korean, Indian and Hawaiin. Next week for date night it’s Jamaican, which Bucky is actually  _really_ looking forward to. Every date night, they try their very best to go somewhere new, to  _try_  something new. They’d both been frozen for many, many years. They might as well make up for it now.

~*~

Bucky loves the pottery class. It involves getting messy, and he  _loves_  getting messy. Their teacher warns them at the start of the class that anyone caught recreating the scene from Ghost will be ejected immediately, and Bucky doesn’t even think he’s joking.

~*~

After a week, Tony is only more suspicious. They  _do_  see Barnes and Rogers during the day, but they seem to disappear on a night time, saying they’re going to bed early or they’re going out to Sam’s or they’re going  _somewhere_ , and that the others shouldn’t wait up for them.

So Tony decides to tail them.

“This is a terrible idea.” Natasha says, crossing one leg over the other as she sits in the front seat. In the back, Clint and Pizza Dog (stupid name, tony had said, but he couldn’t come up with better either) share with Bruce, and together, they tail Steve’s truck.

As the city fades away to suburbs, they all start to get suspicious. Or well, three of them do. Clint, Tony and Bruce frown out of the windows, the dog sticks his head out, tongue blowing in the breeze, and Natasha looks down at her phone, disinterested.

When the truck stops, they circle the block, and park a little way down the street, watching. The two must have already gone inside, so they sit, and wait.

“I can’t believe this.” Tony hisses. “They have a house in  _suburbs_. They’re like regular people. This is awful, they’re living the American dream. They have  _a white picket fence_. I knew they hadn’t left the 30s, I knew it.”

“Shall we go and knock?” Bruce asks.

“Nah,” Clint says. “Isn’t that, like, invading their privacy?”

“I wouldn’t want anyone knocking on my door if it was me.” Natasha shrugs. She turns to Tony. “We should go.”

Tony squints at her. The penny drops, and makes a startlingly loud  _clang_. “You  _knew_  about this, didn’t you? You’re a double agent. Once a double agent, always a double agent. Unbelievable.”

Natasha gives that little smirk she has, red lips twisting upward, and she nods to the road ahead. “Drive, Tony.”

Tony purses his lips, and, reluctantly, presses his foot against the accelerator. They drive back into Manhattan, and Tony can’t help but wonder where his invite to the little suburban house warming was.

~*~

“Steve?” Rhonda from next door leans over the fence as she’s hanging out the laundry, looking concerned. “Steve, dear, there was a car parked outside of your house - I didn’t recognise it. Is everything alright?”

Steve smiles. “Everything’s fine, Rhonda, really. No need to worry.”

“Stevie?” Bucky calls from the back door, stepping out into the back garden. He walks over to them, wrapping his arms around Steve’s waist from behind, leaning his chin on his shoulder. “Hey, Rhonda. They left, I think Nat sorted it.” He says to Steve, before looking back to their friend. “How are the daffodils doing? I was gonna plant some too but I think I missed my window.”

“They’e doing just fine.” Rhonda nods. “I was just asking Steve about that car outside.”

“It was just our friends from the city,” Bucky explains, and Steve nods. “Just curious.” He adds.

“Oh.” She says, and then she smiles. “Good. I’d hate to think you boys were in any kind of trouble. I’ll see you both later, alright? I have a pie in the oven.”

"See you later!" Steve calls, as Bucky says, "See you at Henry's!" She nods at the mention of their next dinner party invite, waving a hand as she goes. They watch her go, still entwined, before heading back inside themselves. They settle on the couch, Bucky’s head resting against Steve’s chest as they watch old episodes of Wheel of Fortune, and Bucky sighs. “It was fun while it lasted, right?”

“It’s still gonna be fun.  _Is_  fun.” Steve says. “I’m still married to you, right? And we still have our pretty little house, with the pretty little garden, and the pretty white picket fence. And when it all gets too much, we can just runaway to the deep South. They’ll never find us there.”

Bucky laughs, tilting his head back to look at Steve. “We could live on a ranch.” He grins.

“Absolutely. A stud farm.” Steve grins.

“Only stud I want is right here.” Bucky says, patting Steve’s chest with his metal hand, and the line is cheesy enough that Steve winces, but still bursts into laughter.

“Awful.” He says, leaning down to kiss Bucky. “Atrocious. Unbelievable.”

“You love it.” Bucky argues, leaning into the kiss. “You put a ring on it, right?”

“True.” Steve nods. He looks at Bucky, smile settling into something fond, and they smile at each other. “I do love it.”

Bucky grins, and leans up for one last, lingering kiss, before their gaze is directed back to the TV, quiet lapsing between them.

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts, questions and comments are always welcome at [my tumblr](http://achaiion.tumblr.com)


End file.
